Former Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Jack Abercia was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation for conducting illegal criminal background checks to raise money, in part, for an elevator in his home.

Abercia pleaded guilty in August to 11 counts of misusing his authorized computer access.

Federal prosecutors said Abercia and a top staffer performed illegal background checks for private companies for a fee, using a national criminal information database that is restricted to law enforcement purposes.

Abercia, 80, who took office in 1991, was facing up to five years in prison on each count, but pleaded guilty in U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison's court in exchange for three years probation.

Abercia resigned from the $120,000-a-year job after being arrested in January 2012.

Harris County's eight elected constables oversee dozens of deputies each and have budgets totaling tens of millions of dollars.

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Deputies fulfill various law enforcement roles, including serving legal papers, overseeing security in county buildings and patrolling neighborhoods.

"God willing, this money will go towards my elevator," the longtime lawman is alleged to have said while taking $3,000 for the illegal background checks. Abercia is suffering from colon cancer and told undercover investigators he needed help getting up and down the stairs in his home.